Siripper nip roll mechanism for carton blank forming apparatus



March 16, 1965 P. zERNov E'rAL STRIPPER NIP ROLL MECHANISM FOR CARTON BLANK FORMING APPARATUS Filed March 27, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet l l INVENTORS.

PETER ZERNov BY GILBERT S. WoYTHAL March 16, 1965 P. zERNov ETAL 3,173,346

STPIPPEP NIP Rom. MECHANISM PoR CARTON BLAAm PORMING APPARATUS Filed March 27, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS.

PETER Z ERNov GILBERT S. WavrHAL du PJM,

Aff @Nays March 16, 1965 P. zERNov ETAL.

STRIPPER NIP ROLL MECHANISM FOR CARTON BLANK FORMING APPARATUS Filed March 27, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3 173,346 STRIPPER NIP RGLL lVIECHANISM FOR CARTON BLANK FRMING APPARATUS Peter Zernov, Wauwatosa, and Gilbert S. Woythal, Mil- Waukee, Wis., assignors to Zerand Corporation, Menomonee Falls, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Mar. 27, 1963, Ser. No. 268,266 9 Claims. (Cl. 93-58.3)

The present invention relates generally to in-line carton blank forming Vapparatus and more particularly vto actuating means for the stripper nip rolls which pull the scored blank from the cutter-creaser press.

Apparatus of the general character with which the present invention finds utility usually has a cutter creaser press to which a web o-f material is fed b-y -a pair o-f intermittently active feed rolls; .a pair of continuously active metering feed rolls feed the web at an exact and constant rate to the said intermittent feed rolls, and an intermittently active brake bar is located between the pairs of intermittent and metering rolls and this bar serves to stop the web during the forming stroke of the press.

Carton forming apparatus of Vthis character should be capable o-f forming different types of blanks which require different handling procedures; in other words, the blank, either partially or completely formed, must be removed from the press at different times in the machine cycle. For example, in forming some cartons it is necessary to completely cut out the entire pattern in a very accurate manner and with no feed up error in the carton; one problem in such an operation arises when the completely cut blank must be pushed from the press by the newly formed leading edge of the following web, because the pushed blank is difiicult to control and therefore connecting nicks must be used which themselves leave objectionable rough spots on the carton edge.

In forming other types o-f cartons, the blank is partially formed during one stroke of the press but the separating cut is not formed at its trailing edge until the partially formed blank is moved partially out of the press and then the press partially forms the next blank and simultaneously cuts the previous blank free. In other words, it is possible to positively icontrol the prescored blank until it is substantially out o-f the press.

The present invention provides a stripper unit for a blank forming machine which can be readily and easily converted from one of the above mentioned operating conditions to the other.

More particularly, the present invention provides a convertible stripper unit of the above type, having cam means located directly beneath one of the rolls for positively and rapidly causing nipping engagement of the rolls with uniform nipping pressure across their entire length.

Another aspect of the invention provides means for quickly changing the timing of the cycle at which the nip rolls engage the carton, and which operating condition can be accurately selected and set on the machine.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear hereinafter as this disclosure progresses, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational View, of carton making apparatus which utilizes the present invention, certain parts being shown as in section, broken away or removed for clarity in the drawings;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a portion of the apparatus as shown in FIGURE 1, but on an enlarged scale and with certain parts broken away, removed or in section;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse sectional view taken generally along line 3 3 in FIGURE 2, but on an enlarged scale, certain parts being broken away or in section;

3,l73,346 Patented Mar. 16, 1965 ice FIGURE 4 is an end View of the cam shaft and pulley hub and showing the setting indicating means therebetween, the view being taken along line 4 4 in FIGURE 3, but on an enlarged scale;

FIGURE 5 is a series of schematic views showing one operating condition of the machine shown in FIGURES 1-3;

FIGURE 6 is a series of schematic views showing another operating condition of the same machine.

Referring in lgreater detail to the drawings, the in-line carton blank forming apparatus includes a cutter creaser press P having a base 1, which supports the upper, fixed platen 2 on the four vertical corner posts 3. A lower platen 4 is vertically reciprocal on these posts by the two pairs of eccentrically driven iconnecting rods 5 and 6 which are journalled at their lower ends on crankshafts 9 and 10 of the base. n

One of the crankshafts may be driven by an electric motor (not shown), and the crankshafts 9 and 10 are connected together by their constant mesh gears 9a and 10a, respectively. Gear 9c is also fixed to shaft 9 for furnishing a drive to the feed ro-lls, as will appear.

One of the platens carries the cutting and creasing die 11 while the other carries a base plate 12 and these dies and plate are removably held in place by brackets 13 in the known manner. Various types of dies and cooperating plates may be used, depending on the type of carton to be formed.

The press also includes a pair of intermittent feed rolls IF, IFU, a pair of continuously active metering feed rolls F, FU, and an intermittently acting brake bar BB. Only one roll of each pair of intermittent and metering rolls is positively driven, as follows. The feed roll F has a gear 14 on the end of its shaft which is driven from gear;

9c through gears 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20; gears 16 and 17 are fixed to a cam shaft 21 while gears 18 and 19 are both fixed to shaft 22. A gear 23 on the end of the feed roll IFU is then driven throu-gh a gear 24 from another gear 24a fixed on roll F. These gears and shafts are all suitably journalled in the base of the press, and if fura ther reference to them is deemed necessary or desirable, reference may be had to .the co-pending US. application Serial No. 256,020 filed February 4, 1963, entitled Drive Mechanism for Carton Blank Forming Press issued as Patent No. 3,169,456, on February 16, 1965. It isbelieved suicient to say here that a thrust link 25 is ver-- As shown in FIGURE l, the brake bar BB is clamped against i-ts cooperating bar BBU, and the intermittent feedv roll IF is open.

The feeding action of the press is as follows. The metering rolls act to continuously feed the web at a precise and contsant rate. The lower intermittent feed roll IF is swingable due to the action of cam 28 on shaft 21, into and out of nipping engagement with the driven upper roll IFU. The lower roll is driven only through the web and a certain amount of -slip may occur between rolls IF and IFU when the web is of a certain tautness. The brake bar acts, through the action of cam 26 in timed relationship with the intermittent feed rolls to stop the web when the intermittent rolls are open l and not feeding, as when the press is forming the blank.

y In other words, generaily speaking, the bar clamps the tinuously active metering rolls cause a loop L (FIG. l) to be formed in the web.

After the press has formed. the carton blanks, the latter are engaged by the pair of stripper nip rolls SR and SR1 of the stripper unit SU, now to be described.

T he stripper unit frame is comprised of the two spaced apart, vertical side walls 40 and 4i, in which the rolls SR and SRI are mounted closely adjacent to the discharge end of the press. A series of upper conveying belts 43 of the endless flexible type are trained over a forward roller 44 and a rear roller 45, both rollers being rotatably mounted in the side walls in the conventional manner. Another series of lower belts 46 are trained over a forward roller 51 and a rearward roller 42, and cooperate with the upper belts to convey the cartons therebetween. The belts deliver the cartons to the stripper drum 47 and its cooperating rubber roll 48 where the waste material is impaled by pins (not shown) on the drum periphery and removed from the finished blank in the known manner.

The forward rollers 44 and 51 may be shiftably mounted by arms 44a and 51a in the side walls in the conventional manner. The tautness of the belts 44 and 5l is adjusted by the conventional adjusting bolts 44h and 51h.

The rear rollers 45 and 52 have meshing gears 45a and 52a, respectively, fixed to one of their ends, and are driven by a gear 53 mounted on shaft 54 and which meshes with gear 52a. Shaft 54 is rotatably journalled in the side wall of the unit and also has a timing pulley 55 fixed thereto.

A cam shaft 6i) is journalled in the side walls of the stripper unit and is located beneath the stripper nip rolls SR and SR1. Gn the outwardly extending end of this shaft a large timing pulley 61 is adjustably fixed by means of a split hub segment 62 which together with the complementary portion of the pulley hub 63 clamps the pulley to the shaft. Bolts 64 are threadably engaged in the hub and a wrench engaging portion 65 of the shaft extends outwardly beyond the hub of the pulley. Thus the shaft can be adjustably rotated by a wrench and relative to the pulley 6l.

As shown in FIGURE 4, the shaft can be turned to either one of two positions relative to the pulley and means are provided for accurately locating and indicating either one of these positions. These two positions are for performing two different types of blank forming operation, as will appear later. In any event, a pin 66 ex* tends through the hub of the pulley and is engageable in either one of two circumferentially spaced holes 66a and 66h adjacent the end of the cam shaft. When the pin is in one hole, the nip rolls are effective at one point in the press cycle; when in the other hole, the timing of the nip roll feed is changed to a different point in the cycle. Therefore, two points are provided at which the blank can be pulled from the cutter-creaser press, depending on the type of carton to be run, as will appear.

A timing belt 67 drivingly connects pulley 6l to the conveyor pulley 55 and power is transmitted from the crankshaft of the press to cam shaft pulley 61 by another timing belt 68 which is trained around a timing pulley 69 fixed to one end of the crankshaft and around pulley 61.

The stripper cam shaft makes one revolution for each cutting cycle of the press, and this cam shaft is timed through belt 68 with the crankshaft of the press.

The upper nip roll SR1 is normally stationary but iS spring loaded for upward swinging in case of overload as follows. Roll SR1 is rotatably mounted at its end in the pair of arms '70, one of which is pivotally mounted in each of the side walls 40 and 41. Resilient strut means 72 act between the side walls and thearms 7) to resiliently hold the upper roll downwardly and act yas a cushion or safety release against plugging. Roll SR1 is rotatably driven from the upper conveyor roll 44 by means of timing pulleys 74 and 75 fixed to the outer ends, respectively, of the shafts of rolls 45' and SR1, and a timing belt 76.

The lower nip roll SR is also swingably mounted in the side walls by means of a pair of arms which are pivoted to the side walls by stub shafts 81. Roll SR is rotatably driven from lower conveyor roll 51 through timing pulleys 82 and 83, and timing belt 84.

Suitable means such as spring loaded idler pulleys (not shown) may be used to maintain the belts 76 and 84 at the proper degree to tautness.

A pair of spring strut units S5, one located at each side of the press P, act on the free ends of arms 8G to resiliently urge them to an open, that is to say, a non-feeding position. These units are adjustable by their set screws 85a so as to help in maintaining even nipping pressure across the length of the rolls,

Means will now be described for positively urging the lower nip roll into nipping engagement with the upper roll, and evenly throughout the length of these feed rolls. This means is operable from and includes the cam shaft 61.

A pair of cams 86 and 87 (FIG. 3) are fixed at spaced locations on cam shaft 60, one cam being located adjacent the inner side of the side walls 4.0 and 41, and below their respective arm S0. As these cams and their connecting bell-crank linkages with the arms S0 are identical, only one set will be described.

A stub shaft S8 is journalled in the side walls 40 and 41 adjacent each of the cams, and a bell crank S9 is fixed to the inner end of these shafts. A cam follower 90 is mounted on one end of the crank and bears against the peripheral cam surface of its cam. The outer end 89a of the crank 89 carries a push rod 91 which engages the underside of arm 80 and urges the roller SR upwardly against the upper roll SR1.

The push rod 91 (FIG. 2) is adjustable to accurately and evenly distribute the nipping pressure between the rolls for their entire length. This adjustment is provided by adjusting the threaded stud 93 up or down in the arm 89a and locking it in position by the lock nut 94. The rod 91 seats on the spherical upper end of stud 93.

Operation When shaft 60 rotates, the rise in the cams causes the bell cranks to evenly and positively force the lower roll into nipping engagement with the upper roll. Because of the proximity of the cam actuated mechanism to the lower roll, and the control of both ends of that roll, the load is distributed evenly between the cams and is absorbed directly thereby. As a result, the use of a much faster cam rise is possible, resulting in instantaneously feeding when desired. The present invention exerts a positive, even and rapid feed actuating mechanism.

It will be noted that the stripper nip rolls bear directly against one another with no intervening conveyor belts in between them. In this manner they can be accurately set as to their nipping pressure.

The advantages and operation of the present nip roll actuating means, which can be set for different types of carton forming operations, will now be described in conjunction with two different operating conditions, or blank forming operations.

FGURE 5 is a schematic illustration of a series of successive steps in forming a carton blank with the above apparatus as set to completely form a blank with one stroke of the press. in this type of operation, it is necessary to maintain extreme accuracy and no feed-up error can be thrown into the carton.

As shown in FIGURE 5a, at the start of a cycle, the brake bar BB is clamped on the web, the press P has just cut a complete carton blank B, and the stripper nip rolls are open, that is, not feeding. FIGURE 5b shows the press open and the interinitent feed rolls are feeding the web and the leading edge of the web is pushing the cut blank B out of the press and into the open nip rolls. The only connection between the leading edge lll@ and the blank are a series of nicks 191 which are partially uncut areas that are formed due to dull spots purposely formed on the knife (not shown) of the die. These nicks are objectionable because they leave rough edges on the finished carton, but they are necessary to be able to control the blank during the pushing action by the web.

In FIGURE 5c the stripper nip rolls have closed and the intermittent feed rolls are still closed but are about to open. At this instant the metering rolls are actually doing the feeding and the intermittent feed rolls are slipping. Here the nip rolls tear the blank from the leading edge 100 because the nip rolls have a greater peripheral speed than the metering or intermittent rolls, and the metering rolls are actually holding the web while the nicks are broken and the blank B is moved rapidly out of the press. FIGURE 5d shows the next step where the press is actually cutting, the brake bar is down, the intermittent feed rolls are open, and the blank B is ready to leave the stripper nip rolls.

The above setting of the cam shaft thereby provides that the. blank is pulled from the cutter press just before u the intermittent feed rolls open up and are not pulling any more, and when the loop is taut and the web is tight around the metering rolls.

The other operating condition for forming another type of blank is shown in FIGURE 6, and is used when the blank is first prescored with the desired pattern by one stroke of the press and the leading edge 1M is cut (FIG. 6a) but a blank is not cut free from the web W during this lirst impression; the scored portion WS of the web, still attached to the rest of the web is controllably moved partially out of the press by the main part of the web and between the nip rolls (FIGURES 6b and 6c) that is to say, the scored web is positively controlled and inserted into the nip rolls with a portion still in the press. The second stroke of the press then cuts along the line ltS (FIGURE 6d) and the stripper rolls then close (FIGURE 6e) to pull the blank from the web which is still held -b'y the brake bar,

By means of the present invention, carton blank forming apparatus has been provided in which the timing of the nip rolls can be readily changed to selectively provide two different times in the cycle at which the nip rolls engage the blank to strip it from the cutter-creaser press, depending on the type of carton to be formed.

Various modes of carrying out the invention are contemplated as being within the scope of the following claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as the invention.

We claim:

l. In carton blank forming apparatus of the type having a cutter-creaser press through which a web is fed, and stripper nip rolls located adjacent the discharge side of said press, one of said rolls being mounted for movement toward and away from the other so as to move between a blank feeding position and a non-feeding position, a rotatable cam shaft having a cam aed thereto and located adjacent said one roll, linkage means between said one roll and said cam, driving means for rotating said shaft to thereby cause said cam to actuate said linkage and thereby move said roll to said blank feeding position.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 further characterized in that said shaft has a pair of cams lixed thereto, one adjacent each end of said shaft and each having linkage means connected with said one roll for moving the latter into nipping engagement with the other roll.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim l including adjusting means between said driving means and said shaft for changing the relative position therebetween.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 3 further characterized in lthat said driving means is a timing pulley adjustably fixed on said shaft and having a driven timing belt therearound, and said adjusting means is at least partially on said pulley and engageable with said shaft to rigidly iX the pulley in one of two rotative positions on said shaft.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 including endless belt conveyors at the discharge side of said rolls for conveying blanks therefrom, and drive means between said conveyors and said rolls for rotating the latter.

6. The invention as defined in claim 5 including a drive connection between said camshaft and said conveyors.

7. ln carton blank forming apparatus of the type having a cutter-creaser press through which a web is fed, and upper and lower stripper nip rolls located adjacent the discharge side of said press to receive blanks therefrom, said lower roll being mounted for movement between a blank feeding position against said upper roll and a nonfeeding position away from said upper roll, a rotatable cam shaft located beneath and adjacent said lower roll, a pair of cams xed at spaced locations on said shaft, linkage means between said lower roll and each of said cams, a timing pulley adjustably liked on said shaft for rotation of said shaft and cams to thereby actuate said linkage means and positively move said lower roll uniformly against said upper roll and into said blank feeding position, and adjusting means between said pulley and shaft for changing the relative rotative position therebetween.

8. .ln carton blank forming apparatus of the type having a cutter-creaser press through which a web is fed, and upper and lower stripper nip rolls located adjacent the discharge side of said press to receive blanks therefrom, said lower roll being mounted for movement between a blank feeding position against said upper roll and a non-feeding position away from said upper roll, a rotatable cam shaft located beneath and adjacent said lower roll, a pair of cams fixed at spaced locations on said shaft, linkage means between said lower roll and each of said cams, drive means for rotating said shaft and cams to thereby actuate said linkage means and positively move said lower roll unifromly against said upper roll and into said blank feeding position, and adjustable means between said drive means and said shaft for changing the relative driving position therebetween.

9. In carton blank forming apparatus of the type having a cutter-creaser press through which a web is fed, and upper and lower stripper nip rolls located adjacent the discharge side of said press to receive blanks therefrom, said lower roll being mounted for movement between a blank feeding position against said upper roll and a nonfeeding position away from said upper roll, a rotatable cam shaft located beneath and adjacent said lower roll, a pair of cams Xed at spaced locations on said shaft, linkage means between said lower roll and each of said cams, a timing pulley adjustably fixed on said shaft for rotation of said shaft and cams to thereby actuate said linkage means and positively move said lower roll uniformly against said upper roll and into said blank feeding position, adjusting means between said pulley and shaft for changing the relative rotative position therebetween, endless belt conveyor means at the dicharge side of said nip rolls for receiving and conveying blanks therefrom, and drive means between said conveyor means and said nip rolls for furnishing driving power to the latter, and main drive means for driving said pulley and said conveyor means and consequently said nip rolls and carnshaft all in timed relationship.

Daniels Oct. 2, 1951 Baumgartner Iune 2, 1959 

1. IN CARTON BLANK FORMING APPARATUS OF THE TYPE HAVING A CUTTER-CREASER PRESS THROUGH WHICH A WEB IS FED, AND STRIPPER NIP ROLLS LOCATED ADJACENT THE DISCHARGE SIDE OF SAID PRESS, ONE OF SAID ROLLS BEING MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT TOWARD AND AWAY FROM THE OTHER SO AS TO MOVE BETWEEN A BLANK FEEDING POSITION AND A NON-FEEDING POSITION, A ROTATABLE CAM SHAFT HAVING A CAM FIXED THERETO SAID LOCATED ADJACENT SAID ONE ROLL, LINKAGE MEANS BETWEEN SAID ONE ROLL AND SAID CAM, DRIVING MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID SHAFT TO THEREBY CAUSE SAID CAM TO ACTUATE SAID LINKAGE AND THEREBY MOVE SAID ROLL TO SAID BLANK FEEDING POSITION. 